Car hire prices at London Gatwick Airport

A good price at London Gatwick Airport is around £34 a day for a Compact car like a Volkswagen Golf booked about a month ahead for October 2026. An Economy car, the Opel Corsa size, is around £28 a day, while a Mini is £22. Waiting until the last 2 weeks drops the Compact price to £31 a day. Across the year, January 2027 is the cheapest month for a Mini at £30 a day, while July 2027 is the dearest for an executive-level car at £103. If your quote sits well above these rates, check the price checker for your exact dates.

For London Gatwick Airport, booking late saves about 50%, falling from £51 a day across the year 9 months before your trip to £34 around 2 weeks before. For October 2026 specifically, a Compact car drops from £34 a day booked about a month before to £31 in the last 2 weeks. If you have not booked yet, you have missed nothing. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of our customers book within 14 days of pickup.

Dollar is the cheapest car hire company at London Gatwick Airport for a Compact car, averaging £32 a day over the last 12 months from 520 prices. For that price you must pay the deposit on a credit card, though Dollar scores 89/100 from 52 reviews with an average desk wait of 24 minutes. Budget costs £36 a day and accepts debit cards, scoring 86/100 from 57 reviews. All 13 suppliers operate directly at the airport rather than by shuttle.

The cheapest company can cost you a longer queue or a bigger deposit, so check the review score and desk wait beside each car in the results before you book.

Europcar is the best-reviewed company at London Gatwick Airport with at least 30 reviews, scoring 86 out of 100 from 311 reviews with an average desk wait of 16 minutes. Europcar averages £47 a day for a Compact car over the last 12 months from 790 prices. Dollar is cheaper at £32 a day for a Compact car and scores 89 out of 100, but has only 52 reviews. Enterprise averages a 28-minute desk wait, while Avis has the shortest wait at 9 minutes but does not yet have enough reviews for a score.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

At London Gatwick Airport, deposits held on your card range from £50 with U-Save or Green Motion to £1,800 with Drivalia, and 5 of the 13 companies take a debit card. Another 7 desks require a credit card, while Sixt accepts a debit card for some cars only. The deposit and card rule for each vehicle are shown beside it in the results, so filter for a debit card before you compare prices. Any optional extras charged at the desk are listed under each car with their price.

If you bring your own child seat, check your airline's rules first: most carry one free, some charge.

Two main things catch people out at London Gatwick Airport: card restrictions at the counter and long queues at certain desks. 7 of the 13 counters refuse debit cards entirely, so turning up without a credit card in the primary driver's name means leaving on the train. Desk wait times also vary sharply across the terminal, from 9 minutes at Avis to 28 minutes at Enterprise. Drivalia requires an unusually steep £1,800 deposit on a credit card before handing over the keys.

Only 36% of prices at London Gatwick Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

For up to 5 passengers heading onto the motorway, pick a Compact car like a Volkswagen Golf at London Gatwick Airport, averaging £34 a day in October 2026. It seats 5 but holds 3 bags, so a full party with luggage will want an Intermediate like a Skoda Octavia, which takes 4 bags for £40 a day. A smaller Economy car like an Opel Corsa is £28 a day but holds only 2 bags. Automatics make up 59% of cars offered, but an automatic Compact costs £9 more a day than a manual over the year, while electric cars are 7% of what is offered, so reserve early if you need battery power.